Because the area around their current location on the beast-hide map was already filled with red crosses. If what Bage said was true, there were simply no other oases to be found here.
"Hm? What place is this? And what does this represent?"
Dao Lord Taichu spotted some strange lines and a black dot on the map, so he curiously asked Bage.
"That is an Ox Tribe fortress. Those lines represent a river."
Ying Mei also looked over at that moment. Upon hearing Dao Lord Taichu's question, she calmly explained it to him.
"Oh? Then you aren't actually that far from there. Why don't you go there to fetch water?"
Dao Lord Taichu seemed to have heard only the latter half of her explanation, and he asked the two of them curiously.
"My lord, are you joking? That is Ox Tribe territory. If we went there to fetch water, it would count as crossing the border. If a conflict broke out, not only would we be in the wrong, but it would also be difficult to explain ourselves to Demon Ancestor."
Hearing Dao Lord Taichu's words, Bage assumed he was joking and replied.
"Didn't you just say that was only if a conflict broke out? As long as you don't clash with the Ox Tribe, wouldn't that be fine?"
Dao Lord Taichu replied indifferently.
"That is impossible. The Ox Tribe has always been overbearing. What they hate most is other races invading their territory. They would never allow us to enter their land to fetch water."
At that moment, Ying Mei spoke again, hoping to dispel Dao Lord Taichu's idea.
"Actually, my lord is not entirely wrong. If we can reach some kind of agreement with the Ox Tribe, perhaps we could fetch water there without any conflict."
After hearing